The city of Quincy, Mass., hopes its upcoming smart traffic light system will reduce people’s travel time by the end of the year.

The city is aiming to have new traffic software controlling a dozen major Quincy intersections, said Chris Cassani, the director of the city’s Department of Traffic, Parking, Alarm and Lighting, commonly known as TPAL.

Cassani said the city is looking at using the new software, likely from a company called Surtrac, for areas such as the Hancock Street corridor, the Wollaston area and Southern Artery. The city hopes the software eases traffic, which is one of the most common complaints among Quincy resident.
Surtrac was created by researchers at Carnegie Mellon University. The team behind it says studies showed the system reduced traffic on some main roads in Pittsburgh by 25 percent. Cassani, who took over as director of the city department at the start of the year, said every few minutes shaved off people’s commutes is important.More>>